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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spring — a coil
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chest — of your body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. chest — of your body
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. file — a document
  16. spring — the season
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spring — of water
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com